Families can still have victories after divorce

Tiana Sherry, a 6-year-old girl, is captured in a viral video making a heartfelt plea for her mother to be friends with her dad again, according to ABC News 10.

Tiana said she is just trying to do her best to keep her family together.

“Mom are you ready to be his friend?” Tiana asks of her mother. “I don’t want you and my dad to be replaced and be meanies again. I’m not trying to be mean. I just want everyone to be friends. And if I can be nice, I think all of us can be nice… I think you can do it.”

Later in the video, Tiana talks about how the conversation escalates and that she doesn’t want that for them.

“I don’t want things to be high; I want them to be low,” Tiana said. “Just try your best.”

Tiana doesn’t expect anything but her parents’ best effort. Tiana speaks with wisdom beyond her years, alluding to the obligation her parents have in being an example to her as they raise her.

Sept. 23 marked the 20th anniversary of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” a proclamation given by Gordon B. Hinckley in 1995, according to lds.org.

“Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives — mothers and fathers — will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations,” according to “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.”

However, the family proclamation also addresses the unique situations we all face within our individual families.

“In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed,” according to the family proclamation.

On many fronts, it feels as though we are fighting a losing battle against the disintegration of the family. Despite this common feeling, divorce rates have actually declined between 2000 and 2012.

“It is no longer true that the divorce rate is rising, or that half of all marriages end in divorce. It has not been for some time. Even though social scientists have tried to debunk those myths, somehow the conventional wisdom has held,” according to The New York Times.

Divorce is declining from a rate of 8.2 per 1,000 total population, compared to a rate of 6.8 in 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And compared to the ‘70s and early ‘80s, rates for divorce have drastically minimalized, according to The New York Times.

Hailey Wilcox, a freshman majoring in general studies, hopes this decline continues because of what divorce causes in homes, like in the case of Tiana Sherry.

“Maybe the world is starting to recognize the importance of … staying together,” Wilcox said. “I’ve seen a couple divorces. It’s always sad, and it makes me grateful for my family and the values that we have.”

Ultimately, reducing tumultuous situations like Tiana’s is the goal of us all. We still have so much to battle, but for now, we can continue to defend our stance on the family and have hope for our own future families. And in the case of this 6-year-old, I think we can all agree, every victory is one worth celebrating.